Kieran Thane, better known as "The
Knight" is one of those guys women love and men hate. Especially
men on the wrong side of his code of ethics.

He’s a freelance troubleshooter in the style of
Simon Templer, aka “The Saint”, only the neighborhood he hangs out
in isn’t Cold War Europe, it’s the much colder colonial Mars. He’s
even got his own two-seater Martian sportscar to roam around the subzero
countryside in. In fact, it's hard not to hear the Saint's theme song
playing in the background during the action. Ironically, that would be
Roger Moore as the best Saint, not the other guy.

The Knight’s a guy you call when things get too
complicated to figure out on your own, and in the future, life is sure
to get more complicated as Science Fiction becomes troublesome reality.

Knight may be a glorified Private Eye or maybe Con
Artist, but he thinks like the engineer that Hogan actually is. James
Hogan has found a protagonist he can send out into the scientific jungle
of the future and ask tough questions about Science Fiction’s standard
ploys as well as loiter in bars with attractive damsels – without the
handicap of being a geeky scientist like his usual hero. Knight gets to
ask questions like what happens to the original when you teleport
someone? How did Mars lose its water and thicker air? Gradual changes or
sudden upheavals? Does the light go out when you close the refrigerator
door? (Ok, I made that last on up.) These are familiar gambits to the
author’s fans, and they’ll even see some of the familiar themes
explored in his first book, still my Hogan favorite, Inherit the
Stars.

I can’t help but hear a whisper of Arthur C. Clarke in Hogan’s
writing.That’s by no
means a criticism, but the scientific…or more specifically the engineering
approach to problems that they share comes across time and time again.

Kieran has just come back to Mars from roaming
around the Solar System, helping the naive out of jams and doing bad
things to bad people. Or at least being coincidentally nearby when the
universe mysteriously rights wrongs. Just to stay in practice and to
increase the general level of sophistication of the public, he likes to
fleece passengers on space liners of poker winnings, then hand them over
at trip's end. Knight moves in mysterious ways.

He's got a girl on Mars, little surprise to anyone,
though we're left to wonder how serious it is. Probably for the next few
books, as this looks like the start of a beautiful friendship between
author and character. She's an info snoop and part time publicist, and
naturally, quite a doll.

Along the way, the author indulges himself to about
every pleasure he can vicariously enjoy, chatting up girls in bikinis,
dropping logical games and puzzles into conversation, and the
puns...well, lets just say I hope he doesn't try to make Knight hurt anyone with
them, as they're pretty painful just set on stun. While he's at it, he
comes up with an excuse to have his characters argue about government,
property, and the will-of-the-people.

The ethnic setting of Hogan's universe, or Solar
System, is as diverse as one could want, with Russians, Middle
Easterners, Asians and even some possible Yankees in the mix. By the
way, Kieran, though it may be obvious to the author, or any red blooded
Irishman, or even anyone who notes his wandering ways, familiarity with
Irish potables, or penchant to bad rhyme...is a fine Irish name.

He should have gotten red hair to go with the Martian surface.

Like I said, Hogan indulges himself.

The book is broken into two cases, though they weave together a bit
towards the end. I'd like a collection of short episodes of the Knight's
adventures, each starting in the grand style of classic detective
fiction. You, know..."I didn't hear her enter...but the smell of
Mars dust clung to her like perfume. I could tell she was trouble, but I
like trouble." (...and I accuse Hogan of indulging himself!)

But it's all fun to go along with. Solving the mystery of who's who
in the matter transmitter mystery, "His Own Worst Enemy", or
pitting adversaries against each other in order to save Alien ruins from
eager Martian land developers in "Khal of Tadzhikstan" All the
while managing to make new friends, broker influence, and obtain
contributions to the Knkghtlife retirement fund. Not that we should
expect Kieran Thane to retire any time soon. That would be too boring to
consider seriously...for the Knight, the author..or us.